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Monday, June 9, 2008

Why, Thank You

Recently I have been the recipient of many kind words and statements of awe regarding my tatting. I was reading some nice feedback yesterday and I remarked to my husband how it always surprises me when people praise my work, it is just what I do. That started me thinking though, we often assume that something that is easy for us to do is easy for anyone to do. Sure, I can tat, it's easy for me, you could learn it too and perhaps be much better than me at it, or not. There are so many things I have tried and had little or no success at over the years. So I thought I would list some of the skills and people I've met you have them that impress the heck out of me.

First, metal work, it amazes me. I tried my hand a soldering and it was, well, unpleasant. I wish I had the skills of Gemmafactrix, TimothyAdamDesigns, or DowntothewireDesigns. All of these artists have amazing talent in an area I fear I will never get. Let's see, I crochet and I'm pretty good at it too, but BeaG has a knack for crochet that can't be beat. Everything she makes is perfect, even and colorful. When I first bought a lip balm holder from her, I thought I could make that. Guess what, I was wrong.

Next up will be art. I too draw and one day I might even let you see some of it, but I won't even pretend that I have the talent of some of my favorite artists on etsy. Jennifer from Stilettoheights makes the most amazing pieces. She not only has an amazing eye for design and color, but she's a pretty good comic book writer too. I've also recently been acquainted with Diana of Paynesgrey. What an amazing imagination, I just love her work and I could never create anything like it.

I can't weave like Scarfguy, I can't even imagine how to make a hat like BoringSidney. I can sew, but nothing like Deconstructress. Then there are artists that do so many things well, fetishghost has ceramics and silver smithing, tiinateaspoon has photography and amazing sculptural clothing. Ahna has hand shaped cabochons, stained glass, jewelry, makeup, candles and scents.

I have tried a lot of these crafts and though I have occasionally been successful, these people do these things better and I didn't even scratch the surface of the skills I am in awe of. So I guess the point of this entire post is, if you think I'm good at tatting, remember you might be good at something I can't do and never take your talent for granted. I am truly amazed that people are amazed by my pieces, but if I take a step back and look at them with fresh eyes, I can sometimes remember what tatting looked like to me before I learned to do it. I think everyone needs to think back to those before days occasionally to appreciate the skills you have now and how far you really have come. So anyway, thanks for the nice things you said about me!